It’s Friday afternoon and I am sitting in my bed with no internet service (thus am not sure this post will ever reach my blog) or cell phone connection. After church this morning, the congregation was sternly encouraged to promptly return to their homes and remain there for the remainder of the day. I have been called (on the land-line) by my boss and my landlord twice within the last hour to ensure that I am actually nestled safely with food and water in my house.
I am not in danger, really, so please do not worry. It’s just that mobs get out of control and there is no reason for me to get caught up in other people’s fights. This is between Egyptians and their government. The protests started this past Tuesday on National Police Day. I did not notice anything as being out of the ordinary, except when I was headed to the train station in the evening,; the main street next to my house was covered with demonstrators. I was ushered in the opposition direction by my doorman and took another route to the station. There were protesters throughout the country and during some of the stations we passed through on the train, demonstrators beat on our train. They did not try to board and there was not any damage done, but it was startling nonetheless.
Today’s protests are supposed to be even bigger than Tuesday’s. Mass mobilization took place the past few days on the internet and so the word spread fast and far. Apparently, the Muslim Brotherhood has officially supported the demonstrations for today which means the numbers of both the protesters and police will be at record highs.
Outside my window, the roar of protesters (that the government attempted to squelch by cutting the internet and cell phone network) is growing louder and stronger. The honking cars, barking dogs, and chanting demonstrators began shortly after the noon prayer here in Alex. I would like to be following the news on the internet, but that might not be an option for days. Twitter was disabled Tuesday and Facebook yesterday afternoon. The internet went down last night around midnight and about that same time the cell network as well.
I hope you have been following the news, and thus know a little about all the commotion here in Egypt and the Middle East in general. From the Lebanese government dissolving mid-January, to the ousting of the Tunisian king a week ago, to the cries of freedom from Mubarak’s regime here in Egypt, this side of the world is turning on its head. (Oh, and the sign of Mubarak that was ripped down on Tuesday in Alexandria was less than a block from my house!) Grace picked a great time to visit to the Land of the Free, but now I am worried about my parents who will be en route to Egypt in less than twelve hours because I have no way to contact them.
The only thing left for me to do is wait (safely away from the action in my house, don‘t worry). Wait for the crowds and chaos to subside, wait for the internet to be reconnected, wait for my cell phone to regain coverage, and wait for my parents’ plane to arrive tomorrow.
Update (9pm): The internet is still down, the cell phones still don’t work, there is a building on fire a few blocks from my house, and there are men running around on building tops throwing rocks down onto the street another few blocks away. All in all, things are great here.
I am not in danger, really, so please do not worry. It’s just that mobs get out of control and there is no reason for me to get caught up in other people’s fights. This is between Egyptians and their government. The protests started this past Tuesday on National Police Day. I did not notice anything as being out of the ordinary, except when I was headed to the train station in the evening,; the main street next to my house was covered with demonstrators. I was ushered in the opposition direction by my doorman and took another route to the station. There were protesters throughout the country and during some of the stations we passed through on the train, demonstrators beat on our train. They did not try to board and there was not any damage done, but it was startling nonetheless.
Today’s protests are supposed to be even bigger than Tuesday’s. Mass mobilization took place the past few days on the internet and so the word spread fast and far. Apparently, the Muslim Brotherhood has officially supported the demonstrations for today which means the numbers of both the protesters and police will be at record highs.
Outside my window, the roar of protesters (that the government attempted to squelch by cutting the internet and cell phone network) is growing louder and stronger. The honking cars, barking dogs, and chanting demonstrators began shortly after the noon prayer here in Alex. I would like to be following the news on the internet, but that might not be an option for days. Twitter was disabled Tuesday and Facebook yesterday afternoon. The internet went down last night around midnight and about that same time the cell network as well.
I hope you have been following the news, and thus know a little about all the commotion here in Egypt and the Middle East in general. From the Lebanese government dissolving mid-January, to the ousting of the Tunisian king a week ago, to the cries of freedom from Mubarak’s regime here in Egypt, this side of the world is turning on its head. (Oh, and the sign of Mubarak that was ripped down on Tuesday in Alexandria was less than a block from my house!) Grace picked a great time to visit to the Land of the Free, but now I am worried about my parents who will be en route to Egypt in less than twelve hours because I have no way to contact them.
The only thing left for me to do is wait (safely away from the action in my house, don‘t worry). Wait for the crowds and chaos to subside, wait for the internet to be reconnected, wait for my cell phone to regain coverage, and wait for my parents’ plane to arrive tomorrow.
Update (9pm): The internet is still down, the cell phones still don’t work, there is a building on fire a few blocks from my house, and there are men running around on building tops throwing rocks down onto the street another few blocks away. All in all, things are great here.
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